Mark Linton

Mark serves as the Executive Director of the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities, created through Executive Order by President Obama. �The Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative is designed to support locally-driven priorities for job creation and economic development, while also strengthening municipal capacity.� Through this work, the initiative improves federal programs by slashing red-tape and better leveraging taxpayer investments. �The initiative has already helped communities more effectively invest nearly $370 million in existing federal funds. �Mark has worked for President Obama in a variety of capacities for more than eight years, most recently serving at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, helping to oversee the agency�s legislative, policy and constituent service activities with Congress. �Mark previously worked in the President�s U.S. Senate Office as a Legislative Aide focused on social policy, including homelessness among veterans. �Prior to his work in government , Mark worked and consulted for an international humanitarian organization, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), overseeing economic development and food security grants as well as documenting civic participatory processes in developing countries.� He worked with CRS both in Baltimore and on assignment in South America as well as South East Europe. �Mark received his Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and B.A. in Foreign Languages and International Economics from the University of Kentucky.